MysteriousSwordsman
by Serenity Fey
Summary: SEQUEL TO SCARLETNINJA. Sakura has finally accepted her fate of missingnin, as long as she has Itachi with her. She's even considering joining the Akatsuki. But what has happened to Itachi? Is he even alive?
1. Chapter 1: Leader

Ta-da! The last installment in the CherryBlossom123 trilogy! The title doesn't have much to do with this story, but I wanted to use another screen name like the last two books.

So, I hope you guys like this book!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Read on!

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**Near the Village Hidden in the Rock, Midnight**

Sakura and Kisame kept a steady pace, trying to get to Leader's hideout before sunrise. It was not a hard journey, but both were so worried about Itachi that the atmosphere was very tense.

Kisame sighed. Who knew what had happened to Itachi? Battling a jinchuriki and an exceptional jonin was not exactly a walk in the park. He and Itachi weren't the _best_ of friends, but Kisame still hoped that he was okay.

Sakura, though, was out of her mind with worry. She babbled away and tried not to talk about him, but somehow always came back to the subject of Itachi. She was making Kisame even more nervous.

Soon, they arrived at Leader's hideout. It appeared to be just a slab of rock, nothing special about it. However, Kisame made a few hand signs and tapped the wall, and a deep crevice formed.

The shark man grinned nervously and gestured for Sakura to go ahead of him. Sakura hesitated, but trudged on, into the blackness of the mountain.

"Stay close!" Kisame warned, taking Sakura's arm so as not to lose her.

The two walked silently through as the entrance behind them closed up. Sakura shivered. It was very creepy, walking blindly in the dark.

Then, the passage opened up into a cavern, and Sakura gasped.

It was hollow all the way up, and there were tunnels running all around. She wondered who had made this.

Kisame nudged her and they headed down one hallway.

"Now, don't speak to Leader, okay? Just let me handle the talking."

Sakura nodded. She was very glad that she didn't have to speak to the infamous 'Leader.' He sounded quite frightening.

When Kisame stopped in front of a tall pair of doors, Sakura gulped. Hesitantly, Kisame knocked on the door.

"Come in…" A regal voice echoed. Sakura's eyes were wide as she followed the blue man into a great chamber.

At the end of the room was a high chair, but Sakura could not see who was sitting in it because the whole room was swathed in shadows. Kisame quickly bowed, and Sakura followed suit, not wanting to get this powerful person mad.

"Report, Kisame?" Leader asked.

Kisame shifted uncomfortably. "We were ambushed at a small inn on the way and Itachi ordered us to go on without him. We're not sure what has become of him."

Leader tut tut-ed. "And who were the said ambushers?"

"The Kyuubi and the Copy Ninja, come after Sakura," Kisame said grimly.

"That's right. Sakura." He turned slightly and his softly glowing eyes looked Sakura up and down.

"So you are _Sakura_?" Leader asked, somehow amused.

Sakura nodded, keeping her eyes down.

"Look at me, girl."

Sakura looked into the shadows.

"Another one from Konoha, huh?" Leader snickered. "What a bunch of traitors. I'm surprised. And you. You were even on the same team as Naruto, weren't you?" Leader asked, almost contemptuously.

Sakura was puzzled at his attitude, but nodded slightly. She also wondered why Leader had called Naruto by name. Neither Kisame nor Itachi had done as much. Who was this 'Leader'?

"Hmm… Well, what is it you want, girl? Have you deserted your village, or are you still a captive?" Leader asked.

Sakura looked at Kisame for approval to speak, and then spoke quietly. "I… I am a missing-nin. I wish to become part of the Akatsuki."

Kisame gaped at her, but Sakura had already decided. She would ask Leader for a place in the Akatsuki, for she no longer had a place in Konoha.

"And why is it you have turned from your village?" Leader asked, with more than a hint of curiosity.

Sakura gulped. "I… I love Itachi."

Leader snorted. "Very funny, girl."

Sakura shook her head in earnest. "I'm telling the truth! I do!"

Leader laughed a bit. "Are we talking about the same Itachi?"

Kisame couldn't help but smile a bit. Leader was actually pretty funny, but he was very powerful. No one dared challenge him.

"I'm serious. I love Itachi. I don't know what has become of him, but I will wait for him. And since I already know several of your secrets, I doubt you would let me go," Sakura said, gaining more confidence with each word.

"True," Leader agreed.

"I have important medical skills, and I have trained under Tsunade, of the Legendary Sannin. It would be in your advantage to accept me as a member, rather than killing me. And," Sakura added rather slyly, "I don't think that Itachi would appreciate it in the least I were killed."

Kisame nodded slightly, and mumbled, "_That's_ for sure."

Leader didn't say anything for a moment or two. Then, he sighed. "Tsunade-baa-chan, eh?"

Sakura started at the honorific. Only Naruto called Tsunade 'granny.' She wondered again who Leader really was.

"Well… I-" Leader started to speak again, but was interrupted by an urgent knocking on the chamber's door. Kisame and Sakura turned to look.

"Come in." Leader shouted.

None other than Tobi limping in, dragging an unconscious and severely bleeding Deidara behind him. Tobi registered Sakura and Kisame dully, and turned to Leader.

"He… he's scarcely alive. We were ambushed… They were Konoha ninja. We barely escaped…" Tobi said between deep breaths.

Sakura's eyes widened when she heard that the ninjas had been from Konoha. Then, she remembered that they were missing-nins, and that Konoha was theirs and now _her_ enemy.

Sakura's medic training kicked in and she hurried over to Tobi.

"Gently lay him down. Don't move him anymore." Sakura helped Tobi lower Deidara to the floor. As she stripped Deidara of his Akatsuki robe and mesh shirt, she assessed the blonde's condition.

Kisame offered to help, and she told him to get fresh bandages and a bucket of hot water.

Leader stared impassively from the shadows, not volunteering any help or words of wisdom.

Tobi sat down with a plunk and removed his own cloak. He had been stabbed in the stomach, and was bleeding profusely. Sakura also noticed that his left leg bent at a funny angle when he sat. It was probably broken.

When Kisame got back with the bandages, Sakura swathed Deidara's wounds and applied a bit of chakra to the openings so that they would close up. Then she used the majority of her chakra on the internal damage and a bump on his head where he'd probably been dropped.

Finally, Sakura sighed. "He'll be okay now. Let's have a look at you, Tobi."

Tobi obediently let her heal up his stomach wound and then Sakura started work on setting his leg, which was indeed broken. Tobi never even flinched.

Sakura's eyes were drooping and her vision swimming from loss of chakra. She applied just enough chakra to assure that Tobi's leg would heal correctly and told him not to put weight on it.

Then, Sakura added that she would finish healing them up tomorrow morning. Tobi nodded and Kisame helped him up and left with Tobi to his room. Once the two had left, Leader clapped slightly.

Sakura blushed.

"Very impressive. I see your claims about learning under Tsunade-baa-chan were not exaggerated." Leader praised. "For now, we will let you live. I'll think about it, and after Itachi arrives, I will decide what to do with you."

Sakura nodded. At least they were going to let her live to see Itachi again. She smiled inwardly and though how ironic it was that she was so desperate to join the same organization she had been taught to hate all her life. Funny how life never turns out how you planned.

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Whew. Long-ness.

How was that? Any ideas as to who Leader is?

Also, note that I made up the stuff about Leader's hideout and that who Leader is going to be is also another figment of my imagination!

I'll probably update next weekend, since I'm writing the rough drafts to another story, plus I have to write this one, and I've been slightly swamped lately with exams and whatnot.

So keep reading and review!


	2. Chapter 2: Blind

Hullo guys!

Warning: Some pretty nasty language in this chapter.

Oh, and thank you to ShiokoXRose for fixing my incorrect spelling of Mangekyu.

Read on!

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**Around 9am, Next Morning, Somewhere in the Rain Country**

Itachi moaned. His head felt like someone had hit him with a hammer several hundred times, and his eyes were hot and heavy, as if he had a fever.

Then, in a rush, the events of the previous night came flooding back to Itachi. It was so strange, how his Mangekyu had been tampered with.

First, the kid blacking out. It must have had something to do with the fact that he really had two conciousnesses. That was the only solution.

Moreover, there was Itachi _himself_ blacking out. That had never happened to him before. He had thought he was done for.

So were did that put him now? Where was he? There was only one way to find out.

Itachi opened his pounding eyelids. And saw… nothing. It was pitch black.

Kakashi stared worriedly at Naruto's body, wondering when he would wake up. They were in a small inn, and had been for the past several hours. After the scene at 'The Spring Chicken,' Kakashi had gotten out of the Earth country as fast as he could, and this was the best thing he had found, given the circumstances.

Kakashi also wondered nervously when Itachi would wake up.

But his wait was soon over, for he heard the missing-nin groan loudly. Kakashi almost sympathized with him, because Itachi must be in some pain, after being knocked out of his own Mangekyu.

Kakashi watched as, slowly, the Uchiha opened his eyes, although Kakashi turned away quickly with a shudder. Itachi's eyes were still his normal inky black, but the pupils were clouded over with a red substance. His Sharingan must've been damaged. Whatever had happened, it was creepy.

Itachi's face twitched, but he kept his composure.

"Hello?" he asked calmly.

Kakashi decided to humor him. "Hello, Uchiha."

Itachi's eyes widened, but did not flick to him or to anything in particular. He seemed to be blinded, though it might just be temporary.

"Hatake?" Itachi asked, trying to fight the panic bubbling up in his throat. Why couldn't he see? Was it just very dark in the room the Copy ninja held him captive in, or was something wrong with his eyes? Itachi sent chakra directed at his eyes. It had no effect.

"Yes. What happened to you and Naruto in the Mangekyu?" Kakashi asked, trying to contain his curiosity.

Itachi sat up slowly, as if every movement pained him. As it probably did.

"Why can't I see? Is it dark in here?" Itachi asked, still in a monotonous voice.

Kakashi nodded to himself. That confirmed his suspicions. Itachi was blind. Probably temporary, but blind none the least.

"I think what happened is that the strain on your Sharingan became too much and a few chakra coils burst. Your body is probably repairing the damage as we speak, but for now, you are blind."

Itachi mentally cursed. So... he was now at the mercy of a Konoha jonin. Wonderful.

But if Kakashi had wanted to kill him, why hadn't he done it already?

"Why did you save me?" Itachi asked.

Kakashi sighed audibly. "To tell the truth, I really don't know. But I do know that Sakura loves you. And I care about Sakura, even though she's a traitor... I don't want to see her hurt again. But don't think you're my honored guest," Kakashi added harshly. He didn't want Itachi getting any bright ideas.

Itachi shook his head slowly. "I don't particularly want to be," he said dryly.

Kakashi chuckled. "Since when have you developed a sense of humor, Uchiha?"

Itachi stared impassively through his sightless eyes. "Sakura has changed me," he said simply.

Kakashi was then quiet for a while. To his surprise, Itachi did not try to escape or trick him in any way.

Around lunchtime, Kakashi offered Itachi some food. Itachi graciously accepted, since he was starving.

The Copy ninja pushed some food into Itachi's hands. He only gave him some things that did not need much hand-eye coordination, seeing as Itachi was seriously lacking in the 'eye' department.

Of course, just when the tension between the two ninjas had started ebbing, Naruto woke up.

"Oh, god… What a hangover…" Naruto was sitting up and rubbing his aching head, when he stopped abruptly. He had forgotten about the night's events and had assumed the pain in his head was just a bad hangover, but he was sadly mistaken.

"Where's that son of a bitch?" he shouted, looking around wildly. Unfortunately for his target, Naruto found who he was looking for.

Itachi's blind eyes widened when he heard the Kyuubi yell. He knew what was coming next.

The Uchiha threw his arms in front of his face to protect himself, but he needn't have bothered.

The second Naruto got up, his legs collapsed beneath him and he fell back down.

"Damn it…Why is this… _monster_ in the same room as me?!" Naruto yelled angrily. He couldn't do much else, so Naruto was sure to scream at Kakashi.

Since both of the angry men in the room were immobile, Kakashi took his leisurely time explaining. Not like Naruto or Itachi could do anything to him.

"Itachi is staying with us until we get back to Konoha. We'll have him executed the old fashioned way." Kakashi smiled that masked smile at Naruto, who glared back at him.

"Then why are you feeding him?!" Naruto demanded after spotting the apple in Itachi's hands.

"Naruto, calm down…" Kakashi tried to quiet the boy, but Naruto wasn't going to be tranquilized.

"First Sakura, and now you!" Naruto shook his head. "What a bunch of traitors Konoha is made up of! And I haven't even started on the 'Uchiha Genius' over there," Naruto spat bitterly, staring at Itachi.

Kakashi was silent.

For the first time, Itachi spoke up. "It's not as if I asked to be saved," he said quietly.

Naruto looked at Kakashi with confusion. "_What_? What the hell happened?!"

Kakashi shrugged. "I haven't the slightest. Itachi, do you know?" Kakashi asked mockingly, and turned to the blind Uchiha.

Itachi sighed faintly. "Well, I trapped Uzumaki in my Mangekyu Sharingan, but I stupidly forgot about the Kyuubi." Naruto snorted, obviously agreeing.

"I tried to stop the Mangekyu, but was not strong enough. I instead went to shut down Uzumaki's mind, thinking that the Mangekyu would collapse if I did. Unfortunately, I had forgotten about the Kyuubi again. Uzumaki passed out, and the Nine-tailed Fox threw me against the ground. The Mangekyu was shattered, but I am now blind, at least for the moment." Itachi summarized quickly.

Kakashi stared at the criminal.

Naruto grinned. "You're blind? Ha, serves you right, you miserable bastard!"

Kakashi glared at Naruto. "Do you have to be so… vulgar, Naruto?" he asked in a disgusted manor.

Itachi frowned. "Well, if I was you, I would get the _hell_ back to Konoha, because the rest of the Akatsuki is going to want me back."

Kakashi nodded at Naruto. "He has a point."

Naruto scowled. "So? Who says they still think you're alive?" Naruto grumbled. "If Kakashi wasn't such a sap, you _would_ be dead!"

Kakashi shrugged at Naruto. "You have a point, too."

Itachi tilted his head back. "What would you have me do, Uzumaki? It's hardly like Konoha is just going to welcome me back with open arms," Itachi said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"The _hell_ we wouldn't!" Naruto shouted. "You're a dirty traitor, and I'll be _damned_ to ever watch you accepted into Konoha!"

Kakashi rolled his visible eye. "Calm down you two." Then, he stopped. What an odd predicament he found himself in. Telling Naruto and _Itachi Uchiha_ to get along. What was the world coming to?

"Okay, here's how this is going to work. Naruto, maybe we can make a deal with the Akatsuki. So, until then, just… don't talk to Itachi. It'll only cause problems. Itachi, you screw up once, and you're dead, got it? I don't have any mercy left for a murderer."

Naruto thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Alright. I'll stop bugging Itachi. But only if he's going to behave like a human being… not that he'll be able to accomplish that…" Naruto said sardonically.

Kakashi sighed. "Itachi?"

The Uchiha pursed his lips ever so slightly. Well, what other choice did he have? He was a criminal, and a blind one at that. Itachi wouldn't really be putting up a decent fight any time soon.

"Fine."

"Good," Kakashi said pleasantly, as if they had just committed to coming to a dinner party. "I'll go get us a bit of dinner."

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Itachi-ness, as promised! We'll get back to Leader next chapter...

Sorry about all the talking... There wasn't much action in this chapter. But I thought their bickering was rather funny.

So, as always, keep reading and review!


	3. Chapter 3: Zetsu's Findings

Hey, guys! Sorry I've been so long in updating, but my mom is taking an online class right now, and she's totally hogging the computer!

And how come I only got _four_ reviews on the last chapter?! That makes me pretty sad. I don't think I'll be able to update very fast if I'm sad and don't get many reviews... -sniff-

lol

Read on!

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**A Week Later, Leader's Hideout**

Sakura sighed and took a bite of the tuna sandwich that Kisame had made for her.

"What are you sighing about, little cherry blossom?" Kisame asked the pink-haired girl in front of him, perched on the top of a barstool.

Sakura turned sad emerald eyes on the blue man.

"It's been a _week_, Kisame," Sakura said miserably, shaking her head. "He should be back by now… What if something's happened to Itachi?"

Kisame reached out and patted her arm. "I'm sorry, Sakura. But it might be time to accept that he _isn't_ coming back."

Sakura sat up straight. "No! He's alive," she said firmly. "I can feel it."

"I hope you're right, Sakura, but be reasonable. If he hasn't come back now, he's probably gone."  
Sakura shook her head. "No…," she whispered.

"Sakura!" Kisame looked the girl in the eye. "What else could've happened?" He was trying to make her face facts. There was no way that the Copy ninja and the Kyuubi would let Itachi live.

"I know he's alive…" Sakura murmured fiercely.

Kisame sighed. "Sakura…," he said, exasperated.

"Hey, you two… un!" Deidara popped into the kitchen. He leered at Sakura. Unfortunately for the S-class criminal, Sakura was not in the mood. She hauled off and punched him in the nose.

"Oww… un!" Deidara leapt back, holding his nose, which was now bleeding profusely. Kisame laughed.

"You boke my nobe… un!" Deidara said, fingering his nose tenderly.

Sakura shook her head in mock dismay. "Yeah, it's a shame, too. I had just fixed up the rest of you…"

"What do you want, Blondie?" Kisame said harshly.

"Maybe I won't tell you now… un," Deidara sneered.

Sakura put up a fist. "Want me to color the rest of your face?"

Deidara's eyes widened. "Leader wants to see you… un!" he said quickly, and darted back out of the kitchen.

Sakura relaxed. "What a faggot." She stuck out her tongue.

Kisame scowled. "You're right. C'mon, Sakura."

The blue man lead the way to the chamber room they had first visited. Sakura was glad, because she still hadn't really gotten her bearings in the huge hideout. She had gotten lost several times throughout the course of a week, and didn't want to repeat the experience.

Sakura rapped on the door sharply.

"Come in!" came Leader's voice.

The two stepped in. Sakura looked around. The same shadowy aura surrounded Leader and the rest of the room.

As her eyes adjust to the dusky lighting, Sakura noticed someone else was also in the room.

To put it simply, he looked like a Venus-fly trap. He had giant, toothed leaves surrounding his head, which was half-black, and half-white. His eyes were small, pupil-less, and a glowing yellow. Sakura knew he looked familiar, but couldn't seem to remember his name. She did remember one thing, though. He was a cannibal.

When Sakura and Kisame had entered the chamber, both pairs of glowing eyes had turned on them. It was slightly eerie.

The two bowed to Leader.

"Hello. Sakura, have you met…?" Leader let the question hang. Sakura shook her head.

"Ah. Well, then, Sakura, this is Zetsu." The plant-man, Zetsu, bowed slightly. Sakura did the same.

"I sent Zetsu to find Itachi last night. Zetsu, tell them what you found." Leader gestured to the plant-man.

Zetsu spoke, his voice raspy and hoarse. "The inn I was instructed to look for had been burned down. I found no sign of Itachi's body." He licked his lips slightly.

"Itachi probably burned along with the inn." This time, Zetsu's voice was smooth and lazy. Then his voice changed back. "I could not find his ring. I assume his murderers took it."

Leader nodded. "You heard him. I'm surprisingly sad to say this, but Itachi is dead."

Sakura shook her head. "With all due respect, I don't believe that."

Kisame's tiny, shark-like eyes widened. "Sakura!" he hissed. "Don't be stupid!"

Leader snorted. "Believe what you want. Itachi _is_ dead."

Sakura's fist clenched. She didn't believe it. She _couldn't_ believe it.

"Well, anyway, that brings me to the second thing I wanted to talk to you about. Your acceptance mission."

Sakura nodded. She _would_ become part of the Akatsuki, and she now had another reason. Revenge on Kakashi and Naruto.

"I want you to retrieve Itachi's ring from Naruto and Kakashi." There it was again. Leader called Kakashi by his first name, whilst all of the other Akatsuki members had just called him 'The Copy ninja'. It was as if Leader knew Naruto and Kakashi personally.

Sakura nodded again.

"Good. If you can do that, you'll be part of the Akatsuki. Now… get lost." Leader flapped a hand at them.

Kisame and Sakura ducked out of the room, closely followed by Zetsu. Sakura stayed as far away from the plant man as possible. Maybe it was her imagination, but Sakura thought he was eyeing her with a kind of hunger in his eyes.

Zetsu parted with them at the next hallway.

Once he was gone, Sakura made a 'Yikes!' face at Kisame. He laughed.

"That guy's creeeee-py!"

Kisame grinned. "That's for sure."

The blue man looked at Sakura thoughtfully. "You know that you're the only girl ever to join the Akatsuki?" he grinned. "Well, besides Deidara…"

Sakura laughed. She just wouldn't think about Itachi. She knew he was alive. And this was her chance to prove it.

**Same Time, Near Konohagure Village**

Kakashi wanted to scream. Unfortunately, Itachi and Naruto had only honored their agreement for about two hours. Then they had just bickered and fought the whole way to Konoha.

In addition, Naruto was too weak to walk for the first few days, and Itachi's eyes hadn't gotten any better, so their progress was about as three times slow as normal.

Now that they were close to Konoha, however, Kakashi was still unsure of what to do with Itachi.

He didn't want to turn him in to Tsunade, because she would just schedule a hanging as fast as she could, and Kakashi wasn't sure he wanted Itachi to die just yet.

But if they didn't turn him in, what _would_ they do with Itachi?

There was one person Kakashi thought he could trust, but he didn't exactly want to show up at their doorstep with an S-class criminal.

What _else_ could Kakashi do, though?

"When are we getting rid of him, Kakashi?!" Naruto yelled.

"If I could see you right now, I'd wring your neck!" Itachi was just as angry with Naruto.

Kakashi sighed. "Calm down."

"C'mon, Kakashi! When're we gonna turn this bastard into Tsunade-baa-chan?" Naruto asked impatiently.

Kakashi averted his eye.

Naruto scowled. "Kakashi? You're not planning to _keep_ him are you?"

"Stop referring to me as if I'm a stray dog!" Itachi growled.

Naruto sneered at him. "Sorry, I guess you're right. You don't _deserve_ the term 'dog'!"

Itachi's fists clenched. "You insolent, obnoxious, arrogant, _brat_!"

Naruto stuck his tongue out at the man, even though he fully knew that Itachi couldn't see him do it.

"Stop!" Kakashi yelled agonizingly. "Just… stop."

The two fighting men did stop. Kakashi hoped it would last.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do. Naruto, go home. Don't talk to anyone, and be as inconspicuous as possible. I'll take care of Itachi and Tsunade." What Kakashi wasn't saying was that he didn't trust Naruto to not make a complete fool of himself if he didn't have his story straight.

As they neared the gates, Kakashi nodded to Naruto, who went on ahead. Kakashi waited with Itachi a sufficient amount of time, and then continued.

Since Kakashi had dressed Itachi up in a peasants' garb, they were able to sneak in undiscovered.

The Copy ninja lead Itachi down several streets, heading in the direction of the house Kakashi was going to hind Itachi in.

"Where are we going, Hatake?" Itachi asked calmly.

Kakashi shushed him. "Be quiet. And if you must know, I'm taking you to a friend who I know I can trust."

Itachi squinted through sightless eyes. "Why are you doing this for me? Why do you care if I get hanged?"

Kakashi shushed him again. "I don't know. But you'd best behave if you don't want me to change my mind."

Itachi was quiet.

"Ah. Here we are." Kakashi lead Itachi up to one of the houses and knocked softly on the door.

The door opened slightly, and then was thrown open all the way.

"Kakashi!"

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Dun dun dun DUN!!!

Who could this mysterious person be? Well... I don't know either. Who do you guys think should hide Itachi?

Keep reading and _pretty-please_ review!


	4. Chapter 4: Rin and Akito

Hey guys. I apologize that this is so late. I have a good excuse, but you probably don't want me to ramble on and on.

Anyway, just read on!

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**6pm, Suburbs of Konoha**

"Kakashi!" the woman squealed. Of course, Itachi couldn't see her, but he could sense her chakra. She had amazing control, and Itachi deduced quickly that she must be a medic.

The woman hugged Kakashi tightly. Then, she drew back and looked at Itachi sharply. "And Itachi Uchiha! Blind, no less!"

This struck up a spark of interest in Itachi. She was obviously a _good_ medic, to recognize his lack of sight in just one glance.

Kakashi rolled his eyes. How could she just act like this _criminal_ was an old friend?

"So, what brings you two to my doorstep? I don't suppose you're here for tea?" the woman asked teasingly.

"You're right, Rin. We're not here for a tea party."

Said Rin reached out and cuffed Kakashi. "You know that's not what they call me anymore!"

Kakashi chuckled. "Of course I know. But I'll call you by your birth name if I like."

Itachi shook his head slightly. They were bickering like an old married couple. He suspected that Hatake knew this woman from his younger days. They were probably even old teammates.

"Well, come in. Can't keep guests on the doorstep, can I?" Rin ushered them in.

Kakashi smirked at her from beneath his mask. This was the old Rin he knew, before too many deaths and her illness had corrupted the sweet, friendly girl he had known since he was a child. She just hadn't been cut out to deal with such great loss. And when she had finally snapped out of her miserable depression, Rin had quit the shinobi ranks. Now people called her Ami, and none of her current friends even remembered that she had been a ninja.

Kakashi led Itachi to a chair, then sat himself. Rin ran to the kitchen and brought out a tray of cookies.

"What kind of hostess would I be if I didn't feed you?" Rin said sternly when Kakashi started to refuse her hospitality. The silver-haired jonin sighed and really looked at her. She had her long brown hair pulled up in a bun, and she was dressed in ordinary commoner's clothing. The face paint she had worn when they were kids had been discarded. Rin's large brown eyes held much sadness, but she smiled in spite of everything. She was trying to be cheerful for him.

"So, how are you, Rin?" Kakashi asked her. The woman frowned at the name, but sat down in front of him. Rin tucked a loose strand of brown hair back into her messy bun.

"As well as can be expected... But you did not show up at my door with an S-class criminal to make small talk. Tell me. What is it you want?"

She certainly did not waste time. Itachi listened to them with interest. He assumed this Rin was the one that Kakashi had been thinking about when he said a 'friend who I know I can trust'. Itachi sighed dejectedly. He didn't think he'd be able to get away with much from this down-to-earth woman.

"Well... I wanted to ask you if you would hide Itachi here." Kakashi averted his eyes, feeling guilty. He knew that she could get in trouble for hiding him, and then what kind of friend would he be?

"You are one _odd_ bird, Kakashi. You want me to hide Itachi Uchiha?! And what did 'His _Highness_' do to earn him such privileges? And don't say it's his pretty face." Rin was shaking her head.

Kakashi ducked his head in shame. "You know Sakura, my ex-student?"

Rin nodded.

"Well... She's in love with him."

The woman just gaped at him. "Wow, I must need to clean my ears. I thought for a moment you said that your ex-student was in love with Itachi Uchiha."

"Your ears have never been wrong, sweet Rin. And they still aren't."

"You had one messed up team."

"No kidding."

Itachi fazed out of the conversation. Bored, he molded his chakra a bit and sensed around the house. He found only one other person here. They were obviously a ninja, but not medically inclined. They were right outside the door to the room they were currently in, most likely eavesdropping on the conversation. Itachi speculated that they were probably male, and probably young, but based on chakra development, not much younger than Sakura.

Itachi flinched. Sakura. He wondered what she was doing. Probably worrying her silly head off about him, no doubt.

Rin sighed loudly, ripping Itachi back to the present. "All right, Akito. Why don't you just come out?"

Kakashi smiled under his mask.

A small boy, of probably eight years, slipped in the room. Akito had large, inky, black eyes, and silver hair.

"Yo. What's up, man?" Kakashi grinned at the boy, who ran over to him and hugged him.

"Dad! You haven't visited in ages!"

Itachi was floored. It was a child's voice. The great mass of chakra was coming from a _child. _This must be one strong kid, to have such excellent chakra development at such a young age. Itachi made a mental note to find more out about this 'Akito'.

Rin smiled. "Okay, hon. Go back to bed."

Akito looked at her curiously. "Why is Itachi Uchiha here? Isn't he an S-class missing-nin?"

The boy's mother chuckled. "He is. But we're going to keep him here for a while."

The little boy turned to Itachi. "I may just be a little boy, Uchiha. But if you hurt my Ma, _I_ will hurt _you_."

Strangely, Itachi knew that the boy meant it. And it made him a bit nervous. Without his sight, this child might actually hurt him.

Kakashi laughed and ruffled his son's hair. "It's a bit past your bedtime to be making threats, Akito."

The boy shrugged. "Good night, Dad. 'Night Ma." He trotted away, down the hall and back to his bedroom.

"So, there's a little Kakashi running around under everyone's noses." Itachi said, chuckling a bit.

Kakashi grunted. "That's none of your business, Uchiha. So just shut your trap."

"Whatever you say..."

Rin frowned at them. "Calm down, Kakashi. Anyway, don't worry. I'll keep 'His Majesty' here... At least for a little while."

Kakashi nodded at her. "Thank you, Rin."

The woman laughed half-heartedly. "When will you be coming back? Soon, I hope." She walked over to Kakashi, who stood up.

"I've really missed you."

Kakashi sighed. "I have things to do, sweet Rin. We can't do this now."

Itachi cleared his throat. He didn't need to hear any of this.

Rin blushed. "Sorry, Uchiha. Look, Kakashi, just come visit me again soon."

The Copy ninja nodded, and in one moment, lowered his mask enough to kiss her lightly on the lips. Then, the mask was up again, and he slipped out the door.

"What a fruit loop." Rin shook her head. Then she turn to Itachi. "Okay, Uchiha. Here, you follow _my_ rules."

**Same Time, Somewhere in the Fire Country**

"We should be there by tomorrow if we keep this pace... Sakura?" Kisame looked back at the konoichi, concerned. He had heard sniffing sounds, as if she was crying.

"I... I'm okay, Kisame." Sakura said, her voice betraying her.

"Sakura, I'm not a fool." Kisame slowed, then stopped. He turned around to see her emerald eyes rimmed with red and puffy. She had definitely been crying.

"He... He really is gone, isn't he, Kisame?" Sakura sniffed.

The blue man cursed inwardly. He had known th truth would hit her eventually, but did it have to be right now?

But Kisame didn't say that. He just reached out and took her hand. "It's going to be okay, Sakura."

The pink-haired girl shook her head miserably. "No, it's not. Itachi's dead, Kakashi and Naruto have disowned me, and all of Konoha hates me!"

Kisame looked at her with pity. "At least you still have me."

Sakura stopped crying abruptly. "Really? You mean it?"

The shark-like man nodded. "Of course. Even if not in the same way as Itachi did, I love you, too. You're like a little sister to me."

Sakura's eyes filled with tears again. "I... I don't deserve such a good friend!" she wailed, and hugged him tightly.

Kisame blushed purple, but put his arms around her.

"Now... Let's go get that ring."

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-dramatic pose- Yes, let's!

The stuff about Rin is made up. I dunno where Rin actually is, but I though she'd be a fun edition. So is cute little Akito. I just couldn't resist making a little RinXKakashi love-child!

Anyway, keep reading and review!


	5. Chapter 5: Searching for the Ring

Hiya guys. Okay, I need to say two things.

One, Rin is NOT the one from Fruits Basket. If she was, this would be a crossover, and I do not write or particularly like (no offense to you who do) crossovers.

Two, I don't think that it is specifically said anywhere in the manga/anime that Rin is dead. If it is, then I'm sorry. But I'm not cutting Rin out of my story. So there.

And sorry for this being a short and late chapter.

Read on!

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**7am, Naruto Uzumaki's house**

Naruto groaned. Was that knocking? Who would be at his house this early in the morning? Everyone knew he liked to sleep in until noon on Saturdays!

Then, Naruto remembered. He remembered his search with Kakashi, Sakura's betrayal, the Mangekyu, saving Itachi, everything.

Naruto heard a strangled sob, and realized that it had come from him. Tears flowed down his face. Life was so unfair.

The knocking on his door came again. The only person that knew he had already gotten home was Kakashi, so it must be him. And if Kakashi was up this early, that meant that something was wrong.

Naruto leapt out of bed, and flew to the door. He rubbed at the tears on his face, not wanting Kakashi to know that he had been crying.

Naruto threw open the door. "Kaka…"

To Naruto's surprise, it was not Kakashi at the door. It was Sakura.

**Same Time, Sakura Haruno's Apartment**

Kisame sighed. It was somewhat strange without his almost-friend's stoic presence. He had gotten used to Itachi always being there.

The blue man would have stuck out like a sore thumb in Konoha, so he was staying in Sakura's house until she came back.

He walked around absentmindedly. The apartment looked barely used, as if someone had been in the process of moving in, and then had just left.

Kisame frowned at himself. That _was_ what had happened.

He wandered into Sakura's room. The bare walls were painted a light pink, and there was little furniture. Half of her clothes had been hung up, and the rest of them lay folded in a suitcase on the bed. There was small table, and a desk. There was also a laptop computer on the bed.

This was what Itachi had ripped her from. Had he even thought his plan through? Very strange and unlike Itachi, but the past few months had shown Kisame that people were fools when in love.

Kisame sighed again. The past few months had also shown that the world was one seriously fucked up place.

**Same time, Naruto Uzumaki's house**

Naruto slammed the door in the girl's face. "Get the hell away from me, Sakura!" he yelled through the door.

"Naruto, I need your help!"

The blonde's face softened. But, no. He must not yield. "That trick's not gonna work on me anymore!"

"Naruto, it's important!"

"No!" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, trying to firm his loosening resolve. "Take your back-stabbing, traitorous ass somewhere else!"

Sakura scowled. Well, if he was going to be an asshole, she would, too.

"Fine! I will! _Kakashi_ will listen to me!"

Naruto's eyes widened. It was true. Kakashi _would_ listen to her. A sudden panic came over him. He had to stop her or she would get away again.

He threw open the door and made a grab for Sakura's retreating form. He grasped her wrist.

Sakura smiled secretly. "Naruto, let go of me! If you're not going to help me, then fuck off!"

The blonde pulled her into his apartment. "Sakura-chan, no! Stay here, please!" Naruto pleaded, lapsing back into using the honorific.

Sakura looked at him. "Are you going to help me?"

He nodded eagerly. "Yes, just don't leave."

Sakura looked at him pityingly. "I _have_ to leave after this, Naruto."

Naruto shook his head. "You can't…," he whispered. "I… You're my best friend, Sakura. What will I do without you?"

"I thought you said that I deserved my title of missing-nin." She laughed humorlessly. "Now you want me to stay?"

"Sakura, please…" Naruto shook his head and looked at her, big blue eyes pleading. He looked like a little boy again, asking Sakura if she wanted to go out for ramen.

"I can't live without you, Sakura. Sasuke… and you…" His voice trailed off.

"Naruto, I'm a missing-nin… I can't stay with you. I'll get caught." Sakura explained patiently.

"We'll talk to Tsunade-baa-chan. She'll forgive you. You can explain that it was all a mistake," Naruto said, trying desperately to convince her.

"Naruto, I would have done that… But I'm Akatsuki now, and I can't come back here. Besides, what's left for me? I'll tell you. Nothing. You're acting like a child. And I know, deep down, you really don't want me back."

"You're Akatsuki?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, Naruto. I'm Akatsuki. And I need Itachi's ring." Sakura was becoming fed up with beating around the bush. Maybe _now_ he would help her.

"Why would you need his ring?" Naruto asked, straightening. Sakura's revelation had awakened him from his desperation.

Sakura glared at him. "Because he's _dead_. I'm taking over his position, and I need his Akatsuki ring," she snapped. She didn't want to start crying again, so she added a hard edge to her voice.

Naruto shook his head. "He's not dead, Sakura. We saved him."

Sakura gaped. "What did you say?"

**Same time, Hokage Mansion**

"Tsunade-sama… Kakashi-san is here for you," Shizune told the Hokage.

Tsunade looked up from her paperwork. "He's back? Send him in!"

The Copy ninja walked in, running a hand threw his silver hair.

"Kakashi! Where have you been?" Tsunade looked at him with concern.

"It's a long story…"

**Same time, Rin's house**

"So what's the story between you and Hatake?" Itachi asked the former medic.

"What's the story between you and Sakura?" Rin asked, not looking up from the dishes she was washing.

"Touché," Itachi murmured. "Well, what about Akito? His chakra control is very advanced for a kid of eight."

Rin was silent for a while. But Itachi was patient. Finally, she said, "He's very advanced, it's true. He's already a genin. But he's a bit troubled. All he ever does is train. He doesn't have any friends…" The woman's voice had a sad quality. "And he's very violent. Things like threatening you, last night… It's happening more and more often."

Itachi chuckled. "He sounds like me."

Rin scowled. "I know. _That's_ why I'm worried."

Itachi shrugged off-handedly. "I should recruit him for the Akatsuki."

Rin laughed. "I don't think you'll be seeing the Akatsuki anytime soon. In fact, they probably think that you're dead."

"You're right," Itachi said simply. "They probably do think I'm dead. That means they're searching for my ring. And eventually, they'll find me."

**Same time, Naruto Uzumaki's house**

"Shit… I probably wasn't supposed to tell you that…" Naruto cursed his stupidity.

Sakura laughed, half-hysterical. "Really?"

"Yeah…," Naruto said glumly. "He used his Mangekyu on me, but the Kyuubi knocked him out. Kakashi saved both of our unconscious bodies."

"Where is he?" Sakura said, a happy light illuminating her emerald eyes.

"Uh… I can't tell you, Sakura."

The pink-haired girl laughed cruelly. "Naruto. I asked you where Itachi is." She cracked her knuckles menacingly.

Blue eyes widened. "Kakashitookhimtohisfriend'shouseIdon'tknowwho!" Naruto said in a rush.

"Thank you."

**Five minutes later, Sakura Haruno's apartment**

"Kisame!" Sakura yelled as she sped into her old apartment.

The blue man looked up from his seat on Sakura's pink couch.

"Did you get it?" he asked.

Sakura grinned. "No. I found better."

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Sorry for switching around so much...

Keep reading and review!


	6. Chapter 6: Hostage

Ugh, I'm sorry this is so late, you guys. I've been really lazy. Maybe, if I get a LOT of reviews, I'll post the next chapter sooner.

So anyways, read on!

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**8am, Hokage Mansion**

"So you're saying that _Itachi Uchiha_ is loose in the city?!" Tsunade asked incredulously through gritted teeth.

"No, a good friend of mine is looking after him," Kakashi reassured her calmly.

The Godaime rolled her eyes and added sarcastically, "Wow. That's a _lot_ better."

"Trust me, Itachi won't be escaping from _her_. And besides, he's blind." Kakashi shrugged. "Blind, it'd be hard to get away from _anyone_."

Tsunade frowned. "He could use his chakra to sense where he was going. And just who is this 'friend' of yours?"

Kakashi grinned. "Why, Rin, of course."

Tsunade chuckled. "I should've known. How is she? I could really use her help in a few of my current medical cases-"

"You know how Rin feels about socializing with other medic-nins," Kakashi interrupted.

The busty blonde grinned. "I do. I just keep hoping she'll change her mind. She was a brilliant medic."

Kakashi looked away quickly, staring out the window with glazed eyes. Rin _was_ a brilliant medic, and she could've done a lot of good for the people of Konoha. But Kakashi would never dare hurt Rin, so he didn't push it.

"So Sakura really is a traitor?" Tsunade asked finally.

Kakashi nodded sadly. "Yes. There's no way that Sakura will come back. She loves Itachi with the same kind of intensity that she used to have for Sasuke. But this time, the Uchiha loves her _back_. I don't think she could go back to not being loved.

"That's the real reason I saved Itachi. Sakura finally has someone who really _loves_ her, not like I do, and not even like Naruto does. Itachi _really_ cares about Sakura. It was so weird to see him when he'd talk about her. Completely different from the Itachi I thought I knew.

"Even if he _is_ an S-classed criminal, I just couldn't take that love away from Sakura." Kakashi looked at Tsunade. "I don't suppose you understood anything I just said, but please just trust me."

The Hokage smiled warmly. "No, I _do_ get it. I just wish she'd have picked someone else for her soul-mate," she said bitterly.

At that moment, the door to Tsunade's office was thrown open.

"Can't I just get through _one_ meeting without someone busting down my door?" Tsunade muttered in annoyance.

Their unexpected visitor turned out to be our favorite jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki.

"Kakashi! Sakura's _here_, in Konoha!" he blurted, dancing around nervously.

Tsunade's eyes bugged out. "What?! How do you know _that_?"

Kakashi nodded wisely. "I thought so," he said coolly. "Sakura would obviously pursue Itachi. She _is_ in love with him, after all."

Naruto shook his head. "No! She thought he was dead! She came with that fish guy… Kisame! They were looking for Itachi's Akatsuki ring!"

"Slow down, Naruto!" Tsunade ordered. "Why would Sakura be looking for Itachi's ring if she thought he was dead?"

If you could've seen more of Kakashi's face, then you would have seen that all of the color had drained from it.

"She's joined the Akatsuki," he whispered in a horrified voice.

Naruto nodded somberly. "It's true. She told me."

"So Sakura still thinks that Itachi is dead?" Tsunade asked.

The blonde man bit his lip. "Well…" He looked at his feet. "I sort of blurted it out, because I didn't know that _she_ didn't know!"

Kakashi shook his head, exasperated. "Smooth, Naruto. _Real_ smooth."

**Several hours later, Sakura Haruno's apartment**

After catching a bit of sleep, Kisame and Sakura put their heads together to try to form a plan.

"We _have_ to rescue him, Kisame!" Sakura reiterated. She was very anxious and kept pacing. It didn't help that she had already had two cups of coffee.

"Yes. I know that, Sakura. But we don't even know who Hatake left him with." Kisame sighed. "If only the Kyuubi had known-"

Sakura frowned at him, annoyed. "He has a _name_, you know!" she snapped.

The blue man stopped. "What?"

"_Naruto Uzumaki_. That's his name. He's not _just_ the Kyuubi."

Kisame's beady eyes widened. "Sorry, Sakura. I didn't know that it meant that much to you."

"Well, it does." Sakura sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just a bit… on edge, you know?"

Kisame nodded. "I want to get Itachi back just as much as you do. But we simply don't have any leads. We have no idea where Itachi is, or who is holding him. All we know is that his 'jailer', so to speak, is a friend of Hatake's."

Sakura groaned. "It's just so _frustrating_ not being able to do anything!"

"There's really only one way to find out the information we need," Kisame said thoughtfully.

Sakura looked at him curiously. "And that is…?"

He shrugged. "Well, Hatake isn't going to tell us by choice, right? So we have to find another way to make him tell us."

**One hour later, Kakashi Hatake's apartment**

Kakashi yawned. It had already been a long day for him. He suspected that he wouldn't be able to catch much sleep, though, because of the obvious 'Itachi Problem'. Kisame and Sakura were probably already trying to rescue him.

Until Tsunade and Kakashi could decide what to do with the Uchiha, though, Itachi would have to stay with Rin. It was excessively risky to hold him anywhere else.

When he heard a knock on his door, he expected to see Sakura or Naruto, but instead, his visitor was his goofy, leotard-clad rival, Gai.

"Kakashi! Hokage-sama wants you! It's very urgent!"

**Same time, Sakura Haruno's apartment**

As he was tied to a chair and gagged, saying that Naruto was a bit upset would be an understatement.

"Mmf! Muff meh mo!" the hostage yelled, his words muffles by the piece of cloth in his mouth.

"Naruto," Sakura said sternly. "Shut up!"

Naruto just glared at her.

The pink haired girl sighed. "Look, as soon as Kakashi gives us Itachi, we can let you go. Until then, we can't."

Kisame rolled his eyes. The boy was a _hostage_, for Kyuubi's sake! She wasn't supposed to be reassuring him!

They had left a ransom note in the Hokage mansion so that Kakashi would figure it out quickly. If they had left it in Kakashi's house, they'd probably be stuck with Naruto for _ages_.

"Hmph…," Naruto grunted. This was stupid. Why didn't Sakura just _ask _Kakashi to give them Itachi? He'd probably do it, the weak bastard.

As Naruto sulked, Sakura drained yet another cup of coffee. Kisame observed her with amused eyes.

"You shouldn't drink so much coffee, Sakura. They say it stunts your growth." He grinned. "Though I don't think you're going to grow much more."

Sakura laughed. "I'm already short. I'd given up any hope of growing more a long time ago."

"Heh!" Naruto yelled. "Em steh heh!"

Sakura stuck out her tongue at him. "I told you to be quiet, Naruto!"

At that moment, the door was broken down. Kisame immediately covered Naruto.

Kakashi, Gai, and Tsunade came in, all armed.

Sakura glared coldly at all three of them.

"So, Sakura, you joined the Akatsuki, huh?" Tsunade asked, as if they were merely talking about the weather.

"Yes, seeing as how Naruto and Kakashi _disowned_ me, I didn't have much choice," Sakura bit back.

Gai frowned at her. "Now, calm down. I'm sure we can work this out."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "No, I don't think that's possible. You've already gone too far."

"_We've_ already gone too far?" Kakashi asked incredulously. "I was thinking that it was the other way around."

"Where's Itachi?" Kisame said, speaking for the first time.

"Mo!" Naruto said. "Mon't meh mem!"

Kisame looked at Naruto with something akin to regret in his eyes. "I didn't want to have to do this, but…" Then he slashed at the blonde man with Samehada. Naruto went limp.

Sakura chewed her lip, hoping that Naruto was okay. But she had more important matters to attend to at the moment.

"Just tell us where Itachi is," Sakura said slowly, with a hint of menace. "Or we take Naruto to the Akatsuki."

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Another cliffy!

Keep reading and review!


	7. Chapter 7: Itachi's Eyes

Read on!

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**Noon, Rin's house**

Rin glanced over at Itachi again. Why did she have that itching desire to heal him? She hadn't used her healing chakras in years! Besides, Itachi was a criminal. With his sight back, he could do some serious damage to Konoha.

Itachi heard Rin sigh. Absently, he wondered what she was thinking about.

Itachi also had reason to sigh. He wished fervently that he still had his sight, for being blind was a sore inconvenience. It meant that the former medic-nin could order him around.

That was the reason for Itachi's current predicament: laundry.

"A penny for your thoughts," Itachi murmured.

Rin was jolted out of her reverie with an audible gasp. Itachi smirked slightly at her reaction.

"Oh… I was… Actually, I was wondering if I could take a look at your eyes," Rin said quickly, surprising herself.

Itachi raised one eyebrow. "Why would you want to do that?"

Rin threw a searching look at him. "Truthfully? I want… to heal you."

Itachi was stunned. She wanted to _heal_ him? When had this bizarre urge developed?

"Are you being serious?" he asked tentatively.

Rin fiddled with the hem of her shirt, chewing on her lip. "Yes."

Itachi shrugged. "Well, it's not like I really _mind_ getting my sight back."

Rin blinked. Again, she wondered at how he had been before he had met Kakashi's former student. Rin knew he was dangerous, but somehow she just could not seem to believe that this man killed his entire clan.

"Well, hold still then." Rin experimentally summoned her chakra. She marveled at the alien feeling. How long had it been since she had done this?

Rin steadied herself and sat down next to Itachi. She reached out and put her slightly shaking hands on Itachi's temples.

Itachi sent out his chakra, sensing her nervousness. He could tell she was out of practice. He realized now that the medic instinct she had carefully honed when she was younger was now acting up. If he had been the type, he might have smiled.

Carefully, not wanting to damage anything further, Rin sent out chakra to explore the vessels that went to Itachi's eyes. Immediately, she found the problem.

Taking her fingers away from Itachi's temples, she sat back on her knees.

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "So? What did you find?"

Rin chewed on her lip. "Your optic nerves are completely shot. It looks like you were using Mangekyu Sharingan, and you sent a large amount of chakra to your eyes. I think that's what burst your optic nerves, since the chakra you send to your eyes follows these nerves. I could probably repair it, but it looked like there had already been a lot of damage to your optic nerves, so I'm not sure what good it would do."

Itachi nodded. "Yes, using my Mangekyu is very stressful on my eyes. Do you think you could heal the damage also?"

Rin considered carefully. "Well, as I'm sure you now know, I haven't done a proper healing in… at least ten years. You could end up blind for the rest of your life. If I thought you were ever going to see that girl, Sakura, again, I might say that you should let her heal you. She's certainly more in shape."

Itachi's blind eyes closed sadly. "I don't really want to talk about her."

Rin frowned. "I'm just stating the facts. You must have realized that the chances of seeing her again are very slim."

"If I know Sakura at all, she's already trying to find me." Itachi pursed his lips slightly. He didn't say 'or she thinks I'm dead' but he didn't have to.

Rin felt a pang of sympathy, but stopped herself. Sympathy? For a criminal? What was wrong with her?

"Look, I'll try to heal your eyes, but I just can't guarantee it'll work."

Itachi shrugged. "I don't have anything to lose."

**Same Time, Sakura Haruno's Apartment**

"Please, Sakura. You're making a big mistake." Kakashi had flinched when Kisame slashed at Naruto with his sword, but all the blue man had done was drain his chakra.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. Somewhere deep inside of her, Sakura marveled at how cold she was being. Ordinarily, she'd be the hostage, crying for someone to save her. But not anymore. Now, she was standing up for herself. Even if her reasons were on the other side of the law, she felt a certain confidence in taking charge of the situation, the likes of which she hadn't in a long time.

"Listen, Kakashi," Sakura said quietly. "I love Itachi with all my heart. I can't go on without him, now that I know what it's like to be with him. I'm desperate. So desperate that I'd sacrifice Naruto for him. So if you won't give Itachi up, I _will_ take Naruto to the Akatsuki."

Kakashi nodded solemnly. "I understand Sakura." Then, he turned to Tsunade, who stood next to him, pinch-faced and hands clenched.

Tsunade tensed, as if bracing herself for a blow, and then nodded to Kakashi. "Go get him, then."

**Same Time, Rin's House**

Rin took a deep breath to steady herself. Then, she leaned over to Itachi and again placed her fingers on his temples. Just as she was about to send her chakra in his eyes, a knock sounded on her door.

Rin started, jumping up with wide eyes.

"Hold on!" Rin glanced at Itachi, who nodded at her, silently conveying that he would not move. Assured that Itachi would not run off, Rin dashed to the front door.

To her surprise, Rin was greeted by Shino Aburame.

"Shino-san. What's wrong?" Rin asked the jonin. It could only be Akito, since Shino was Akito's sensei.

"Ami-san. You son…" He trailed off.

Rin gripped Shino's arm. "What? What is it?"

"Akito is in the hospital."

Rin gasped. "How? What happened?"

Shino looked down at his sandaled feet. "He got into a fight with his teammate and we had to injure him to detain him."

Rin clenched her teeth. "What happened to his teammate?" she asked quietly.

"He's dead," Shino said curtly. "We're not sure if your son will survive. Do you want to come down to the hospital?"

"I'll be there soon. There's someone I need to see first." Rin nodded as Shino waved at her, and gently shut the door.

"I can't believe him…" Rin whispered.

Itachi saw gazed at her blankly. "I was more right than I thought. And for some reason, that doesn't give me the satisfaction I thought it would."

Rin shook her head at him and sighed. "We have to go. I have to get to Akito, but I can't leave you here."

Itachi frowned. "Someone will recognize me."

"Not if you use a genjutsu." Rin looked grim.

Itachi sighed. "Not like I have a choice."

**Same Time, Sakura Haruno's Apartment**

Kakashi sighed, and, with one last glance at Sakura, turned tail and left the apartment. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He was setting a criminal free. Sure, they were saving Naruto, but still. It seemed so weird.

Kakashi was half-way to Rin's house when he saw her. Rin was walking towards him, not appearing to see him. The curious thing was, a small girl was hanging onto her arm. Kakashi rubbed his eye. The girl looked suspiciously like Sakura.

"Ami?" Kakashi called, using her public name.

Rin looked up, and so did the Sakura-look-a-like. "Kakashi! Akito's in the hospital!"

Kakashi forgot all about Naruto for a split second. "What?"

Rin bit her lip. "I have to go to him. Will you take It- uh, my niece?"

Realization dawned in Kakashi's eyes. The Sakura-look-a-like was Itachi under a genjutsu! Perfect.

Kakashi nodded. "Of course." He grabbed Itachi's arm and nodded to Rin as she bustled away.

"Kakashi," a small, girly voice said. Kakashi looked down.

"Are you taking me to Sakura?" Itachi asked.

Kakashi sighed. "Unfortunately, I am."

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Oh, my god, you guys. If I EVER take even REMOTELY that long to update, you have my permission to bug me until I do. I swear.

I feel so bad for taking so long to update, but I promise I'll update again THIS WEEK. Promise!

So keep reading, and pretty-please review!!!


	8. Chapter 8: Ambush

You guys don't even read this note... so just read on!

:Edit - April 22 - I don't know if anyone noticed this, but I had Lee, Shino and Neji all as 'ambusher's, and that doesn't make sense for a few reasons. One; Shino is supposedly Akito's sensei, so why would he be a part of an ambush right after one of his students is in the hospital and one is dead? Two; Sakura saved Neji's life, so why would help attack her? I mean, come on!:

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**1:00, Sakura Haruno's Apartment**

Sakura gazed at Tsunade steadily, determined not to show weakness.

Tsunade looked at Sakura with pity. "You know, Sakura, I think we could've worked this out with_out_ violence."

Sakura laughed shortly. "Yeah, right. Like how? Sentencing Itachi to death?"

Tsunade shook her head slowly. "I still don't believe you've gone completely bad, Sakura. I remember that carefree thirteen-year-old I took as an apprentice, and I know there are still remnants of her inside of the hard woman I see now."

Sakura looked at her feet. "Tsunade, you're right. I really haven't changed that much. I'm still trying to protect my precious people as well as I can. But now, Itachi and Kisame are my precious people."

At that moment, Kakashi barged in, leading a small girl by the hand. Sakura stared. It was herself, just an eight-year-old version. Before her eyes, however, the young Sakura changed and became Itachi.

Sakura almost ran to him in relief, but caught herself. Then she noticed Itachi's eyes. It was as if the red comas of Sharingan had bled into the pupil. He was obviously blind.

"Itachi?" she managed to croak hoarsely. His face twitched, slowly lifting into an disbelieving, yet hopeful, expression.

"Sakura? It really is you?"

Sakura smiled to herself. "Yes. I though you were dead!" At this, Itachi grinned wryly.

"I'd rather be dead than live without you," he said quietly.

Tsunade cleared her throat. "Ahem. Okay, we've made our part of the deal, now give us Naruto."

Sakura regained her composure and nodded. She untied Naruto and hefted him over to Gai, who cradled his limp body. Then, she walked over to Itachi and took his hand, marveling at his solidness; he really was here.

Kisame grasped Itachi's shoulder. "Hey, Uchiha," he whispered. Itachi smiled back.

The two groups stared each other in silence.

"I wish this wasn't the way," Tsunade said.

Sakura nodded. "Me too."

They nodded at each other.

But no one was going to let them have it easy. Suddenly, four figures rushed into the apartment. Kunai exploded around them and everything was in panic. Sakura tackled Itachi, shoving him towards her room.

"Stay there!" she shouted, and then turned to the fight. Kisame and _Lee_ were fighting, trading blows. "How low," Sakura growled. "Setting up an ambush."

"What are you doing?" Sakura heard Tsunade yell. Dust and smoke were everywhere, shrouding everything.

All of a sudden, five kunai exploded toward Sakura. Her eyes widened, knowing it was too late to dodge.

Was this it? Was she really going to die _now_? At least she had rescued Itachi. All that flashed through her mind as she braced herself for impact and squeezed her eyes shut was how she wished things had happened differently. But the kunai never came.

Prying her eyes open, Sakura gasped. Kisame stood in front of her. He had jumped in front of her at the last second. Slowly, he slid forward, falling onto his knees. Sakura knelt, catching him, and slowly lowered him to the ground.

His blue face looked up at her, smiling. "Hey," he whispered weakly.

Tears stung in Sakura's eyes. Kunai were embedded in his chest and lower abdomen. Sakura didn't have to be a medic-nin to know that all five kunai had hit home.

No. Not Kisame. He had to live. He had to make it. This was nothing. "Idiot," she said halfheartedly. Delicate tears trembled down her face, dripping down her nose and onto Kisame's already blood-staunched cloak.

Kisame grinned at her weakly. "Thanks for everything, Sakura," he leaned forward barely and kissed her softly on the cheek.

Sakura shook her head numbly. "No. What are you saying? You're going to be fine!" She hiccupped slightly. "Everything… is… fine!"

Kisame smiled at her foolishness and closed his eyes. He breathed raggedly, and slumped against her, passing out.

Sakura wiped at the tears that blinded her and lowered him onto the ground. Whoever had thrown those kunai was going to pay. Sakura looked up and searched with her chakra, recognizing Kiba's chakra signature easily.

Eyes burning with rage and grief, Sakura ran straight at the dog-man, pulling back her fist, gather chakra. But Kiba saw her coming and ducked.

"Traitor," he hissed.

Sakura glared at him, but didn't grace him a reply. She just jumped up, twisted, and planted a staggering kick to his belly. Kiba went flying back, but came at her again. Dimly, Sakura was aware of Tsunade shouting.

"Kiba! _Fall back_!" That much was decipherable.

Kiba bared his teeth at her and ducked away. But Sakura wasn't going to let him go so easily. She grabbed his wrist and shoved him up against the wall. Kiba cried out in pain as she twisted his arm behind him.

Sakura had forgotten about Akamaru, though. The big dog latched onto _her_ arm and dragged her back, letting Kiba get away. They both disappeared into the smoke before she could catch them.

Sensing with her chakra, Sakura tentatively walked through the smoke, kunai bared.

Tsunade was yelling again. Sounded like this ambush hadn't been approved by her. By the sound of her voice, Sakura snuck up to where the group was gathered.

Shikamaru, Kiba, and Lee all stood facing the Hokage. Sakura noticed that Kakashi and Gai had gotten out with Naruto quickly.

As the smoke faded away, Tsunade saw her.

"Sakura! Are you alright?" she asked, sounding genuinely concerned. The pink haired konoichi looked at her strangely.

"You mean, you _didn't_ order this ambush?" she asked.

Tsunade shook her head. "I'm so sorry."

Sakura looked at her coldly. "Yeah, well, 'sorry' isn't going to save Kisame. This bastard fucking killed him." Sakura kicked Kiba angrily in the back, making him stumble toward the wall.

The color drained from Tsunade's face. "Oh, Sakura…" Her voice faded away slowly. Then her face set grimly. "Are you sure he's dead? Maybe we can still save him."

Sakura looked at her, stunned. "You'd save Kisame? But he's an S-ranked criminal wanted in all of the countries…"

"I'm not saving him because he's a criminal. I'm saving him because he's your friend. Now let's go, before it's too late. Where is he?" Tsunade put on a determined face and that was that.

Sakura numbly led the Hokage to where she had left Kisame.

Itachi stumbled out of her room slowly. "Sakura? Are you okay?" he asked tentatively.

Sakura ran to him, wrapping her arms around him. Abruptly, she stared to sob. "Kisame! That bastard got Kisame!"

Itachi hugged her tightly, just holding her.

"Sakura! I'm going to need your help! He's still alive, but just barely," Tsunade called to her.

Sakura's face lit with hope and she ran to the Hokage. Bent over Kisame's bloody body, Tsunade looked tired and old, despite her jutsu.

"What can I do?"

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I know, this is a very cruel cliffy. We've all gotten attched to Kisame and now... he's fading fast. But there's still hope! So stay tuned! Lol.

Anyway, I was going to update on FRIDAY, but the uploading-ness was all screwed up and wouldn't let me! So blame fanfiction, not me!

Please keep reading, and remember to reveiw! (It makes me want to update more!)


	9. Chapter 9: Returning

Look, I'm sorry guys. I'll do the groveling at the end of the chapter, though, k?

Read on!

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**1:00 pm, Konoha Hospital**

Rin hurried in the sliding doors of Konoha's hospital with a determined, slightly panicked expression on her face. A flurry of emotions was holding her heart high up in her throat. She was terribly worried about her son, and confused as to why he would do something so awful, and guilty for not doing a better job raising him.

Of course, the lazy receptionist at the front door had seen hundreds of patients and their family and friends and all of the sob-stories to go with them, so her bored attitude didn't change in the slightest when she saw Rin run up to her. She didn't even lower the magazine she was reading, just glanced up enough to take in Rin's appearance.

The receptionist recognized all the signs of a mother whose child had been injured. Slightly dilated pupils, clenched fists, that expression that said 'Don't mess with me; I want my baby!'. Rin was just another angry cow in front of a train to the receptionist, and she treated her that way. Rin, however, did not appreciated this.

"I need to see Akito Oshiro. It's urgent. He's my son... Probably in intensive care," Rin said calmly, but firmly. She put her hands on the receptionist's desk, to show that she meant business. "Will you please tell me where I can find him?"

The bored girl in front of Rin snapped her gum and rolled his eyes, then slowly put down the magazine. "Yeah, hold on..." She reached for a clip board with every ounce of disdain she could manage. Rin made a mental note to speak to the Hokage about the hospital staff and tapped a finer impatiently.

"Uh... Lemmeseeee... Ah. Oshiro, Akito. Er... Oshiro-san?" the receptionist asked hesitantly, making sure the two shared a surname. When Rin nodded, she went on. "Says here that Akito Oshiro is in the 'Highly Dangerous' ward, in the basement, which means I can't permit anyone who isn't a ninja or a medic to visit him until his status changes... Sorry, hospital rules." She coughed slightly and went back to her magazine.

At that moment, Rin decided that she would no longer sit back as a civilian. One thing had led to another, and now she was practically itching to heal someone. And now, she had to be a medic or a ninja to see her son. Well, dammit, she was one. She would act like it.

"I am a medic. A medical ninja, to be precise," Rin said clearly.

Eyeing her skeptically, the receptionist did a little 'hmph'. "Well, let me just check with my supervisor. What did you say your name was again?" She picked up the phone and dangled it with a loose finger.

Rin lost her patience. "Look. Just tell your 'supervisor' to tell the Hokage that Rin is back." And with that, Rin turned on her heel and headed for the elevator. The receptionist called after her a few times, but soon gave up, and instead dialed the Hokage's office, like Rin had instructed.

"Hokage's office, Shizune speaking," came the feminine voice over the phone.

"Uh... Is the Hokage there? 'Cause there was some lady in here claiming she was a medic and that her name was Rin... She told me to tell the Hokage that "Rin is back'. Do you know what that's supposed to mean?"

In the Hokage's office, Shizune smiled.

**Same Time, Sakura's Apartment**

"He's going to make it," Tsunade sighed, and sat back, exhausted. She and her former apprentice had just poured all their healing energy into Kisame's wounds, and it now looked like he was going to live after all.

Sakura dabbed at her eyes, and then gave up, embracing Tsunade with tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Tsunade..." she whispered into the older woman's shoulder.

"It's okay, Sakura." Tsunade hugged the pink haired woman with vigor, until they broke apart. She smiled sadly at Sakura and wiped away a tear. She could tell how much Sakura cared for these two criminals and it confused her, but she did want Sakura to be happy.

"I wish it could be different, Sakura. But the council elders would never allow either of them to live. The only way we'll be able to keep our ranks will be to swear everyone to secrecy. It's not too late to come back, but I'm afraid it is for them."

Sakura nodded. "I do understand, Tsunade. And I will come back, from time to time, and visit all of you. But my heart belongs to Itachi now. I can't leave him." She stood up carefully, as she was still fairly weak from the healing. Glancing around, she saw Naruto rousing. Stepping carefully over to him, Sakura hugged the blond man tight.

"S-sakura-chan?" he said foggily.

"Thank you, Naruto, for everything. I'll see again, soon. Move on, though, ok? Go out with Hinata or something... Kami only knows how much she's always loved you." Sakura leaned down and kissed him softly on the nose, then straightened up.

"I'll always love you, Sakura-chan. I hope you know that." Naruto smiled sadly at her.

"I do," Sakura answered, patting the side of his face. "See ya later, Naruto."

Then, she hoisted Kisame over her shoulder and took Itachi's hand. "C'mon, guys. Let's go."

As Sakura and her two missing-nins dashed off, Tsunade wondered if she had done the right thing. Sakura was happy, though, and that was the main part.

"Tsunade-baa-chan... I'm gonna miss her," Naruto said sadly, his beautiful blue eyes filling with tears. The Hokage just reached over and puled him into a tight hug.

"Me, too, Naruto. Me, too."

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So, I was the most unmotivated person ever. I had no desire to write anything. Blah. I'm back, now, though, I swear. My first act is to finish this story. This chapter was short, but one more chapter, which is going to be loooong, and I shall tie up all the loose ends. I might even put a little ItaSaku lime in it, too. -wink-

After this is finished, I'll (possibly - it's actually a fine story without continuing, what do you think?) finish Baby Yuri, maybe. And then, I shall be starting some new projects... One is a NejiTen oneshot that I'd like to get out there... Also, I've been dabbling a bit in yaoi, and I have two NaruSasuNaru's started, and a NejiGaara in my files, too. I'm also open to ideas and requests (See my profile). So whatever you guys want.

Please keep reading, and review!


	10. Chapter 10: End

Told ya I'd update soon, right?

Read on!

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**1:15 pm, Konoha Hospital**

"Akito? Sweetie, is that you?" Rin walked into her son's hospital room quietly, after taking out the two guards in front of the door easily. She was feeling very powerful, coursing with chakra and adrenaline.

Rin's baby lay in a hospital bed, his wrists chained to the bed with chakra-encoded handcuffs. He was in bad condition, she could easily see. But, as Rin entered the room, Akito's eyelids fluttered heavily. One of his eyes was purple and swollen, but he looked up at his mother with love and a touch of guilt in his coal black eyes.

"Mom?" he croaked. Rin went over to him and sat on him bed, smoothing his hair affectionately. She smiled at him and nodded, tears pricking her eyes. He was alive, and looked like he was going to make it. That was all that was important.

"Mom, I'm sorry," he said sorrowfully. "I didn't mean to kill him! But he... he was making fun of me... and you. He called you a whore. I'm so sorry. I just... I love you, mom." Akito's voice cracked and gave out, as tears leaked out of his swollen eye.

Rin shook her head, and kissed his forehead. She rubbed a thumb at the stray tear drifting down her son's cheek. "I know, sweetie. It's okay. I forgive you." Rin was so relieved. There was a perfectly good reason for this. Of course, killing the boy was wrong, but Akito was young, and his chalkras were developing. He didn't fully comprehend his strength. She could back up his case, and get him off with probation.

Akito sighed, and closed his eyes, about to go back to sleep, but then he snapped them open again. "What about that man? Itachi? Where is he? You didn't leave him alone, did you? He's a dangerous criminal!"

Rin stroked his hair again, comfortingly. "Shhh. Don't worry. Kakashi took him. Besides... Itachi isn't so bad. Always remember that, Akito. Everyone has at least a little good in them. And everyone has a little bad in them. The line we think of, good and evil, is actually very hazy. We are all humans. It's our choices that define us, Akito, but everyone deserves a second chance."

**8 pm the Next Day, Outskirts of Konoha**

Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Sakura Haruno stood outside Konoha, gazing back at the tall gate. Itachi reveled in the sight, as it was one of his first in about a week. As soon as they'd gotten away from the Konoha nins, Sakura had found a tiny, grubby inn in the bad part on Konoha and they'd holed up while she had healed Kisame further and then slept for about twelve hours. As soon as she's recovered, Sakura got to work on Itachi's eyes, and had finally cleared them of all the horrible red fog. His eyes were now good as new.

Itachi smiled slightly and took Sakura's hand as they turned away, on their way back to the Akatsuki base.

**A Week Later, Akatsuki Base**

"Good work in retreiving Itachi, Sakura and Kisame. I admit, I hadn't beleived him alive. But now that he is... Well, I suppose we're going to have to make another Akatsuki ring." Leader chuckled from behind his shadowy cloak.

Sakura bowed, smiling. "Thank you, Leader-sama." She was very happy; Itachi, Kisame, and she had arrived a few minutes ago, after a leisurely week of travely and staying in nice hotels. It was a nice change. Especially being with Itachi the whole time.

Kisame grinned toothily and ruffled her short pink hair affectionately. "Haha, I knew it. You're definitely a great addition to our messed up little organization."

Itachi grunted, but smiled slightly at her, which was good enough for Sakura.

"Okay, get outta here, ya brats," Leader said playfully.

Sakura waved the two to go ahead without her. Kisame shrugged, but left, and Itachi shot a questioning look at her, but left, too.

"Leader-sama... There was something I wanted to ask you," Sakura started once her two companions had left.

"Eh? What is it?" he asked lazily. Though he was still swathed in his usual corner of blurry darkness, Sakura could have sworn she saw him put his hands up behind his head, an expression so purely Naruto she almost giggle.

"Er... What counrty are you from, sir?" Sakura asked, slightly timdid, but at the same time insanely curious.

Leader narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

Sakura shrugged. "Oh... No reason. You just remind me of someone back in Konoha."

"I'm from Konoha," he said warily. "Leave now, Sakura-chan, before I tell you too much and have to kill you." Leader leered at her mockingly, but she understood that he was only half joking.

"Yes, sir." Sakura bowed and scurried out, leaving Leader to think about what she had said.

Outside in the hall, Sakura had just one thought before a certain Sharigan-blessed Uchiha enclosed her in a tight embrace and pressed his lips to hers.

_He called me Sakura-_chan.

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Note: I know that the Akatsuki Leader is not the Fourth! But I didn't know any better at the point where I made the hints, so I'm keeping those, aight?

Okay, so that was actually shorter than the last one. I apologize, but I didn't feel like writing too much, and I just wanted to tie up the lose ends. So that's the end. Sorry if I disappointed any of yous, but I really wanted to finish this thing. XP

Besides the end, which I realize was crappily short, I hoped you enjoyed this trilogy.

Suggestions for the next story? Promise it'll be better than this one.

Thanks for reading, and review!


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